As Lu Yuanshan and the other two departed, the hall fell into complete silence, leaving only Lu Ping, or rather, he was no longer human.
As a consciousness body, he could now only float around to look at things, or continue studying the Golden Finger.
Witnessing his children's conversation, Lu Ping's heart was restless, thinking that the sect was indeed in dire straits, at a perilous moment.
In light of the circumstances, even Zhaoyun Sword Lu Zhiwei was willing to part with it to exchange for spirit stones to subsidize the sect. Compared to Tang Zhixian, Lu Zhiwei's generous act greatly comforted Lu Ping, yet also left him somewhat bitter.
The sect's matters must be assisted quickly; he could no longer stand idly by.
The Cyan Mountain Sect was named so because when the sect was founded, Lu Ping named it with the hope symbolized by the saying "The cyan mountains remain, the green waters flow long" for the sect to endure eternally.
But he didn't expect the Cyan Mountain Sect to wither so quickly.
Considering the sect's predicament, there were limited actions he could take; perhaps it was best to study the Sect Simulator thoroughly once more.
Previously browsing the mall, Lu Ping began examining the other four basic functions.
[Communication], [Secluded Cultivation], [Experience], [Doorway Affairs].
[Communication] was straightforward; it didn't require spending reputation points and allowed him to choose a single sect member for a private chat or multiple members for a group chat.
The premise was that the communication target must be a sect member; outsiders were not eligible.
[Secluded Cultivation] was one of the ways to earn reputation points. Secluded cultivation for one month could earn 100 points, thus 1200 points annually.
But here's a caveat: once secluded cultivation begins, one will temporarily lose consciousness, falling into a dormant state, unable to operate the system interface.
If, during secluded cultivation, the sect encounters hostile forces and faces a crisis, Lu Ping would be unable to intervene; he might 'wake up to find' the sect becoming poorer or even disappearing from the cultivation realm.
[Experience] was easy to understand; it allowed assigning one or more disciples to venture downhill and roam the mortal world.
Disciples on experience journeys might trigger random events, bring back local specialties, perform good deeds to increase the sect's reputation, or make Daoist friends, gather other sects' information, and win favor with disciples from other sects.
This function didn't require spending reputation points and even had a certain chance of earning reputation points.
The last function, [Doorway Affairs], required coordination with the system map.
Select an area within the map range to investigate whether there were any external affairs there that the disciples could handle.
Completing doorway affairs could earn reputation points and system rewards.
After spending some time, Lu Ping thoroughly understood these four functions and then checked the list of sect members.
[Name: Lu Yuanshan]
[Identity: Sect Leader of Cyan Mountain Sect]
[Age: 53]
[Personality: Mature, steady, humble, gentle]
[Status: Healthy]
[Realm: Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation]
[Talent: Wood and Earth Dual Spirit Roots]
[Location: Cyan Lotus Mountain]
...
[Name: Lu Changfeng]
[Identity: Elder of Cyan Mountain Sect]
[Age: 45]
[Personality: Hot-tempered, impulsive]
[Status: Healthy]
[Realm: Eighth-Layer Qi Cultivation]
[Talent: Fire, Wood, and Gold Three Spirit Roots]
[Location: Cyan Lotus Mountain]
...
[Name: Lu Zhiwei]
[Identity: Sect Elder, Tier One High-Grade Refiner]
[Age: 41]
[Personality: Silent, solitary, fragile, sensitive]
[Status: Dao Heart lost, mildly depressed]
[Realm: Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation]
[Talent: Gold and Wood Dual Spirit Roots]
[Location: Cyan Lotus Mountain]
...
Looking at the data, Lu Ping couldn't help but admit, his children's talents were relatively average, with two dual spirit roots and one three spirit root.
In the cultivation realm, the distinction of spirit root quality was straightforward. The best was Celestial Spirit Roots, which could be any single spirit root among Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, or single abnormal spirit roots like Wind, Thunder, or Ice, which were rare.
Celestial and Abnormal Spirit Roots were regarded as equal, with excellent aptitudes, sought after by major sects.
Following were dual spirit roots, then three, four, up to five spirit roots, where more spirit root attributes meant poorer cultivation talent.
The standard for recruiting disciples in the sect was generally three spirit roots or more.
Lu Ping's talent was barely acceptable, falling under the category of Gold, Wood, and Fire Three Spirit Roots. With a combination of chance and perseverance, his two lives' determination, he managed to reach Foundation Establishment, Crystallization, and then Golden Core.
In cultivation speed, he could rival dual spirit root cultivators.
His children, inheriting Lu Ping's bloodline advantages, were fortunate, born with cultivation talents, all possessing spirit roots, not to mention Lu Zhiwei, who possessed dual spirit roots.
Currently, his three children were at the eighth and ninth layers of Qi Cultivation; none had yet reached Foundation Establishment, which surprised Lu Ping a bit.
After all, before his secluded cultivation, his children had reached the late-stage Qi Cultivation, and after thirty years of cultivation, they should have obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill and established the Foundation.
But thirty years had passed, and no one had reached Foundation Establishment. Was this due to slow cultivation speed, or could the sect not obtain Foundation Establishment Pills?
Tang Zhixian previously mentioned that there were no Foundation Establishment cultivators within the Cyan Mountain Sect, which Lu Ping had indeed heard.
Further perplexing Lu Ping was Lu Zhiwei's personal attribute indicating a personality of "silent, solitary, fragile, sensitive".
That description didn't seem right.
The Lu Zhiwei he remembered was poised and cheerful, optimistic and outgoing, how did she become silent, solitary, fragile, and sensitive?
The status line indicating "Dao Heart lost, mildly depressed" also left Lu Ping puzzled.
"Let's not talk about the fact that Yuanshan and the others haven't reached Foundation Establishment yet; Zhiwei's current state is also questionable."
Lu Ping pondered, "The system's records shouldn't be wrong; perhaps during my secluded cultivation, Lu Zhiwei experienced certain events that changed her personality."
It seemed that during his thirty years in seclusion, many things likely happened within the sect, not only leading to the sect's decline but also affecting the dispositions of some sect members.
The development of the sect, including Lu Zhiwei's anomaly, needed to be inquired about to provide targeted solutions.
After considering for a moment, Lu Ping used the [Communication] function for the first time, choosing to establish a private chat with Lu Yuanshan.
"Yuanshan."
With the communication sent, Lu Ping's voice swiftly penetrated the mind of this second-generation sect leader of the Cyan Mountain Sect.
"Who?"
Startled by the suddenly emerging voice in his mind, Lu Yuanshan, located at the peak of Cyan Lotus Mountain, was taken aback.
"Who's talking?"
"I'm your father."
"Father?"
Hearing this response, Lu Yuanshan couldn't quite process it.
Was the communicator his own father?
His father had been in secluded cultivation for thirty years; even if he emerged now, he could have met face to face instead of using this communication gimmick. Wasn't this excessive?
Thus, Lu Yuanshan grew wary, casting his gaze around, and noticing no one else nearby, he could only follow the communication and ask, "Who exactly might Your Excellency be?"
Alright, that's a headache.
The issue of not being able to manifest here is that he couldn't stand in front of Lu Yuanshan and tell the kid directly, "I'm your actual father, see for yourself if you don't believe it."
But that's not possible, as Lu Ping was incapable of doing so.
Helplessly, he could only persist, hardening his resolve to continue explaining.
"Lu Yuanshan, I am Lu Ping, the founding ancestor of the Cyan Mountain Sect."
"Lu Ping..." Lu Yuanshan repeated his father's name.
Reflecting on the voice in his mind just now, he gradually realized it seemed quite familiar, much like that of his father who had vanished into seclusion for thirty years.
"Father, is that really you?"
No kidding, if I wasn't your father, I wouldn't bother with you!
"It's me."
Lu Ping replied, albeit exasperatedly.
There was no mistaking it; it was this voice!
Finally, Lu Yuanshan no longer doubted.
After thirty years of seclusion, his father wasn't dead!
Heaven bless our sect!
His heart filled with joy, he immediately followed up in the communication.
"Father, have you emerged from seclusion?"
A simple inquiry left Lu Yuanshan nervous, deeply afraid there'd be no reply.
"Not yet."
Lu Ping's voice echoed.
"Father, are you in the cave mansion in the rear mountain, would it be convenient for me to come and see you now?"
His mind full of thoughts of Lu Ping, Lu Yuanshan had no inclination to continue his duties and was eager to meet Lu Ping as soon as possible.
His father's emergence would mean the presence of a Golden Core Ancestor, or perhaps even a Nascent Soul Old Monster. With such a powerful figure overseeing the Cyan Mountain Sect, what obstacle couldn't the sect overcome?
Establishing another sect wouldn't even be a problem.